Oxford Art Factory, Sydney
Wednesday October 31, 2018 :
2017 was a big year for Methyl Ethel. The release of their second studio album, Everything Is Forgotten received critical acclaim and landed their track ‘Ubu’ into the number four spot in Triple j’s Hottest 100. However, this success has done nothing to prevent front man and founder James Webb from getting back into the studio, the fruits of which the public got the first taste of just over a month ago. The band celebrated the release of this new single, ‘Scream Whole’ by putting on two intimate gigs in Sydney and Melbourne, which inevitably sold out with overwhelming demand.
The mystery of an unannounced support act was solved as soon as I arrived at the Oxford Art Factory as the set list was plastered all over the venue rather than social media as is tradition these days. HANDSOME took to the stage with a two-piece band in support and filled the room with her powerful vocals. They hadn’t finished performing their second song before I was adding her latest EP to my November playlist.
One of the best things about the Oxford Art Factory, apart from it’s intimate size, is the fact that the stage curtains allow the band to set up onstage without the excitement of seeing the band walk on for the first time being ruined. The break between the two sets was filled with suspense as the crowd listened to the band doing soundchecks with familiar riffs from behind the curtain.
By the time the curtains finally pulled back to reveal the band shrouded in a heavy cloud of smoke, the venue was packed with the sold-out crowd. The spooky, ethereal tones of the band suited the Halloween evening almost too well to be a coincidence, but the mood of the crowd was high as the band made their way through a setlist dominated by their latest album.
Webb maintained his insular but effortlessly cool demeanour onstage whilst the lead guitarist brought his own energy to the performance with his unique dance style. The lighting arrangement consisted of heavy backlighting, a trend consistent with their recent performance at Yours and Owls festival, which provided an aura of mystery to the band. Blood red hues backlighting the performance, accompanied by thick smoky haze made the dark silhouettes of the band ooze a chic drama. This was supported by their drawn out intros into their hit songs, which had the crowd guessing what they were performing up to the moment the main riffs started and they screamed out their excitement.
Although the tour was officially to launch their new single, when ‘Scream Whole’ came on the entire crowd surged with reanimated vigour, following on with the lyrics to every verse. This singing display was dwarfed, however, when their stratospherically popular song ‘Ubu’ came on, with the mics struggling to overpower the cacophony of the crowd jamming along to the iconic hit.
There was flutters of chants for an encore starting when the band walked offstage, but the crowd largely dispersed at this stage. Although I was keen to see more of the band, seeing them head through the backstage curtain and disappear into the crowd left in the bar was a clear sign that they were done for the night. Thinking about their set as I wandered up Oxford Street afterwards, the completeness of it meant that I wasn’t disappointed to have missed out on an encore.
I’ve been a casual fan of Methyl Ethel since the release of their single ‘Twilight Driving’, but haven’t become deeply invested due to the impression that their success is mainly due to a few popular songs. However, seeing them perform a full range of their material gave me a new-found appreciation of their style that characterises their more obscure tracks. Thanks to my being taller than most people around me, I must have stood out looking like an idiot with a massive grin on my face that I couldn’t wipe off for most of their performance.
Reviewer : Vivienne Wells
Photographer : Sean O’Reilly
